What’s Our Top Energy Concern?

My last post explained why lower prices at the pump aren’t quite as black and white as most media outlets would have us believe. Sure it’s comfortable for our wallets, but the nuances don’t fit easily into a few bullet points for the mainstream media.

My last post explained why lower prices at the pump aren't quite as black and white as most media outlets would have us believe. Sure it's comfortable for our wallets, but the nuances don't fit easily into a few bullet points for the mainstream media.

Just yesterday, Melissa reported that oil prices are currently half of what they were a year ago. Thus, we still have have relatively inexpensive gas, but tax revenues are decreasing in oil-producing states. Now consider changing incentives for renewables, a boost in SUV sales, anticipated cuts in the energy sector, job creation due to consumer savings... Regardless of what you might hear elsewhere, we'll have to watch this play out economically and environmentally on the global stage.

But what do Americans really think about this issue? Last Fall, the UT Energy Poll reported that 84 percent of Americans say they are concerned about the cost of gasoline.

September 2014, 2,105 respondents

Gas prices have ranked as the top concern on every wave of the survey so far. The new Spring 2015 data is just out of the field so soon we'll know whether American attitudes might be changing along with prices. What do you predict?

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Sheril Kirshenbaum

Sheril Kirshenbaum is executive director of Science Debate, a nonpartisan initiative to restore science to its rightful place in politics. She also hosts "Our Table" at Michigan State University, a series of round table discussions on where our food comes from and how it impacts our health and planet.

Newsletter

Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter.

Read More

The impact of low oil prices on state tax revenues

In Los Angeles, Cleaner Air Is Helping Children Breathe Easier

By Melissa C. Lott on March 19, 2015

1

Every Issue. Every Year. 1845 - Present

Neuroscience. Evolution. Health. Chemistry. Physics. Technology.

Subscribe Now!What’s Our Top Energy Concern?My last post explained why lower prices at the pump aren’t quite as black and white as most media outlets would have us believe. Sure it’s comfortable for our wallets, but the nuances don’t fit easily into a few bullet points for the mainstream media.

Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.